Sherman Lewis, one of the greatest Michigan State football players and a former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, died on Friday, May 15, an MSU spokesman confirmed. He was 83.

Lewis, an All-American running back for the Spartans and a longtime assistant coach at MSU and in the NFL, had been in an assisted living facility in recent years according to reporter and historian Tom Shanahan.

“Sherm Lewis is a Giant in his death as he was a Giant his life,” former MSU star and College Football Hall of Famer Clinton Jones told Shanahan.

Born June 29, 1942 in Louisville, Ky., Lewis arrived at MSU to play for Duffy Daugherty in football and to run track for the Spartans and became a captain of both teams. In 1962, Lewis earned honorable mention All-American honors and second-team All-Big Ten, then a year later was a first-team All-American and the 1963 Football News Player of the Year after rushing for 577 yards on 90 carries catching 11 passes for 303 yards. Lewis ran for 1,566 yards and 23 touchdowns, was a Big Ten champion in the long jump and 300-yard dash. He was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Lewis played professionally with Toronto of the Canadian Football League (1964-65) and the New York Jets (1966) of the AFL before returning to MSU as an assistant coach from 1969-82 under Daugherty, Denny Stolz, Darryl Rogers and Frank “Muddy” Waters. He then went on to an accomplished career coaching in the NFL, spending nine seasons with San Francisco from 1983-91 and helping lead the 49ers to three Super Bowl wins while serving as a mentor to Roger Craig as running backs coach and then Jerry Rice and John Taylor as wide receivers coach.

In 1992, Lewis became offensive coordinator in Green Bay, a role he held for eight years from 1992-99. Lewis helped Brett Favre, former MSU star Andre Rison and the Packers win the 1996 Super Bowl. He was the first Black offensive coordinator to win a Super Bowl title.

Lewis was offensive coordinator for two seasons in Minnesota (2000-01) before spending his final three seasons with the Lions, including his last two as offensive coordinator from 2003-04.

Over 22 seasons in the NFL, Lewis’ teams compiled a cumulative 219-131-1 record. He was passed over twice for the MSU coaching job, first when Waters was hired in 1980 and then again in 1995 when the Spartans hired Nick Saban.

“Sherman Lewis was a true Spartan legend,” former MSU star Jimmy Raye, who also coached with Lewis and in the NFL, told Shanahan. “His legacy extended beyond the football field, where his electrifying play gained All-American recognition. He was the first player from the segregated South to play a substantial role for coach Duffy Daugherty and the Spartans. …

“As a mentor and lifelong friend, he set the standard for many future Spartans players and coaches to come. REST IN LOVE my brother.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

A Michigan State student appeared to be brandishing a knife and running toward officers when he was shot in multiple waves of police gunfire, according to body camera video of the deadly confrontation released Friday.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Advertisement

MSU senior Isaiah Kirby, a 21-year-old Maryland native, was killed on April 15, and Friday marked the first time video of the fatal gunfire was shown to the public.

East Lansing police were called to Lake Lansing and Abbot roads on a theft call that “evolved into a stabbing by a suspect, which turned into an officer-involved shooting,” the department has said.

The officers’ video showed them driving to the scene when a man, identified by police as Kirby, came running toward them in the middle of the road. Kirby was brought down by an initial hail of gunfire as he came in their direction, video showed.

Kirby, screaming in agony, was on his knees as officers ordered him to drop a knife, according to video. Police then shot Kirby in two more hails of gunfire, with the first and last shots coming about 17 seconds apart, video showed.

“I want to thank the officers and employees of the East Lansing Police Department for their continued professionalism during this investigation,” said East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown, who narrated the video.

“Furthermore, I want to thank the East Lansing community for their patience and understanding as this investigation proceeds,” she said.

Karyn Kirby, the slain student’s mother, and family attorney Teresa Bingman did not immediately return calls seeking comment early Friday evening.

Kirby’s family was shown heavily redacted footage last week that the slain student’s loved ones said didn’t show why deadly force was necessary.

“Where’s my truth? Where’s my transparency?” Karyn Kirby told supporters earlier this week.

“We have asked from the onset, to see raw, clear, unedited video,” she added. “That’s all I ask. It’s not that hard, right?”

The Michigan State Police are continuing to investigate the use of force by East Lansing officers, officials said.

East Lansing police identified the four officers involved in the shooting: field training officer Beck Martin, who has been on the job for three years; two-year veteran officer Brennan Surman; officer Benjamin Saylor, who has been on the job for one year; and officer Zane Johnson Chasteen, who has been on the job for three months and was paired with Martin.